Weirdo art-punk trio Hot Nerds will release their new album, Strategically Placed Bananas, on March 10 via Three One G. And as a preview, the group has released a 12-minute faux documentary on the making of the album. It's an artfully done and increasingly absurd video, in which the band talks about getting food in their equipment, selecting the right wardrobe for their recording sessions, eating on both sides of the border and why The Cranberries are the only band they listen to.

As the clip progresses, it gets even weirder, with blurred faces, disguised voices and a pretty disgusting montage of a fast-food mountain. Anyhow, it's pretty out there, and you can watch the entirety of Pre-Tensions: A Strategically Placed Banana below.

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Just a little more than a year after West Coast Tavern owner David Cohen took ownership of The North Park Theatre, the venue is changing hands once again. Cohen and The Verant Group have sold The North Park Theatre to The Observatory, which also owns The Constellation Room, a venue in Santa Ana. On Dec. 11, SD Observatory LLC filed a fictitious business name for The North Park Theatre with the county Assessor / Recorder's office.

Tim Mays, owner of The Casbah, has been booking shows at the theater for the past year and confirmed that The Observatory will take over the venue on Jan. 15. The Observatory has also purchased West Coast Tavern. As of right now, no major changes to the theater have been announced outside of the purchase.

The first show at The North Park Theatre after the transition is New Orleans rapper Curren$y, who performs on Jan. 16. There are also several artists who are playing both The Observatory and The North Park Theatre in the coming months, including Migos, Juicy J and Neutral Milk Hotel.

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A few issues ago, CityBeat music editor Jeff Terich recommended Blonde Redhead's live show show with this: "It’s pretty much all good, and all stylish, so expect a great set." The art-pop band, around for just over two decades and featuring Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone (drums) and Amdedeo Pace (lead guitar), released a new album, Barragan, in September. Photographer Kristin Genna caught their set last month at House of Blues:

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The Che Cafe has suffered another setback after a long series of conflicts with UCSD over the music venue's ability to keep its space. A judge ruled today in favor of the university in a two-day trial determining whether the UCSD had the grounds to evict the Che Cafe Collective.

After two years of predictions and partying at the San Diego Music Awards, I've reached a solid conclusion: I'm absolutely terrible at predicting which artists will take home awards. Hell, I'm not even sure you can come up with a logical system of figuring it out. But while I went zero for five this year in my own reading of the music scene's entrails, I was pleasantly surprised to find that three of the artists I wanted to win—Nathan Hubbard, Odessa Kane and Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact—actually did! I'll call that a moral victory, if not an actual one.

Meanwhile, perennial why-is-he-even-nominated favorite Jason Mraz won both Artist of the Year and Best Music Video, accepting his award via phone. The Burning of Rome, meanwhile, had the most wins at three: Best Live Band, Best Alternative Album and Song of the Year. Have a look at the full list of winners below.

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Watching Paul McCartney perform at Petco Park Sunday night, I realized how inherently sad Beatles songs are. There are the obviously sad songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday." Then there are the songs where the sad sneaks up on you, like the refrain in "Getting Better": "I've got to admit it's getting better" (backing vocal: "Better") "A little better all the time" (backing vocal: "It can't get more worse"). Bummer, right?]]>After playing coy with fans for the last year or so, post-hardcore San Diego band Drive Like Jehu performed live last night for the first time in 20 years. But it wasn't your normal rock show. The one-hour set was accompanied by San Diego Civic Organist Carol Williams at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park—and it was free! And all ages! And it started at 7 p.m.! Meaning an audience of post-hipsters, kids—and kid-sized noise-supression headsets. Consensus: Awesome event. More, please. The only thing that would have made it better is if drummer Mark Trombino set up a Donut Friend booth. And now, scroll on down for some photos from the show.]]>

I've never been much of a fan of seeing shows in arenas or stadiums. And yet, I've still seen my share—David Bowie at Irvine Meadows, Garbage at RIMAC, an FM 94/9 Christmas show about four years ago, etc. But sometime between having to squint to see Beck and straining to hear Vampire Weekend, I had more or less quit cold turkey. With the exception of Bowie, almost none of these shows were worth the baffling ordeal, questionable acoustics and parking nightmares one would have to endure just to hear the hits.

When Nine Inch Nails announced they'd be coming to San Diego, however, I thought I was ready to give it another shot. I've been listening to the band since the depths of my most awkward junior-high years, and though I have little interest in going on a nostalgia trip for the sake of itself, there are enough good songs in the band's catalog that a giant spectacle of a show—one whose scope would make sense only in the context of a giant arena—might actually seem worth it.

The show, held at Coors Amph... I mean Cricket Wirel... make that Sleep Train Amphitheatre, was in fact a double-shot of 1994 mania, since it also featured grunge icons Soundgarden, who played an almost-headliner-length set in an opening slot. They stacked the hits high and wide: "Outshined," "Blow Up the Outside World," "Spoonman," "Fell on Black Days," "Black Hole Sun" and "Rusty Cage," to name a few. And they pretty much nailed it each time, holding on to some of their youth while looking slightly grayer than we remember them (guitarist Kim Thayil has an awesome Fidel Castro-meets-Hulk Hogan look at the moment).

I didn't stay in my seat during the whole of Soundgarden's set, instead taking the opportunity to shell out $9 for tacos and $13 for one beer from the one cart in the venue that wasn't plastered with the Budweiser logo. And it's a good thing, too—someone sitting directly behind me unleashed a torrent of puke shortly after I left, instead hitting the ankles of the bros squatting nearby.

I was ready to forget all of the tacky business around me once Nine Inch Nails started, and for a time, I did. With no warning or fanfare, Trent Reznor simply walked onstage and started the 2013 single "Copy of A," joined by his bandmates gradually during the course of the song. Their set was stark but vibrant, a high-tech series of light displays and simple backdrops inspired more by Kraftwerk than, say, Nine Inch Nails circa 1994. Though that doesn't mean that things didn't kick into higher gear soon enough, with a blistering performance of "March of the Pigs" transitioning into "Piggy," and a booming version of 1989's "Terrible Lie" transitioning into a cool take on "Closer," mixed with elements of Pretty Hate Machine deep cut "The Only Time."

Nine Inch Nails at Sleep Train Amphitheatre
photo by Candice Eley

But, as strong a live band as Nine Inch Nails is, it was hard to escape the frustrations that had built up in just a few short hours: The price gouging, the vomit pool, the creepy 50-year-old bro on pills who didn't and couldn't realize I didn't want his company, the nagging reminder that I'd have to leave early to avoid being stuck in the parking lot, the people in the VIP seats literally looking down on me and the promoter's senseless bureaucratic rules—when you photograph a show, you usually have to leave the pit after the third song; here, they make you leave the fucking venue.

All I could think of was Sun Kil Moon's song "Ben's My Friend," in which Mark Kozelek describes seeing The Postal Service at a giant amphitheater: "Ben's my friend but getting there's the worst / Trying to park and getting up the hill / And finding a spot among the drunk kids staring at themselves." I'm not nearly as old and grumpy as Kozelek, but while I enjoyed watching the show—or most of it anyway—being there mostly reinforced what I already knew going into it.

And I left with a shrug.

Nine Inch Nails at Sleep Train Amphitheatre
photo by Candice Eley

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It's finally happening. After 20 years, Drive Like Jehu has announced that they're getting back together. Pretty much since the local post-hardcore outfit broke up in 1994, fans have been clamoring for a reunion—and that includes me—though the best we ever got were some pretty frustrating hoaxes.

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It's San Diego Music Awards season, and this year's nominees have just been announced. There are a lot of worthy entries on the long list of nominations, including local MVPs The Burning of Rome, Little Hurricane and The Midnight Pine, as well as newcomers like Soft Lions and hard-working underdogs like Eukaryst, who are profiled in this week's CityBeat.

And then there's Jason Mraz and Switchfoot. It wouldn't be the San Diego Music Awards without a few ringers, no matter how cliche it is for Switchfoot's name to show up—again. But Jason Mraz seems a little more of a stretch. Is Mraz even really a "San Diego artist" at this point? I'm inclined to say no, considering he's only scheduled three shows here this year, all in stadium-sized venues and all sold out. That, to me, doesn't say "local artist," but your mileage may vary.

In any case, here's the full list of nominees:

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This week’s CityBeat features an overview of the experimental, shape-shifting Tokyo trio Boris, whose new album Noise was released last month via Sargent House. The group’s sound is a bit difficult to pinpoint, since all of their albums sound pretty radically different from one another. But the one (almost) constant in their sound is heavy rock ‘n’ roll—in various shapes and forms.

I conducted an email interview with the band’s guitarist Takeshi and drummer Atsuo through a translator, in which the group discussed their changing sound, different versions of their albums, and the departure of fourth member Michio Kurihara.]]>

After monthsofsetbacks, The Che Café got a victory during a court hearing today, which allows it to remain in its current space until September. A judge ruled that the Che can remain in possession of its space while engaged in a legal dispute with UCSD over the university's action to evict the collective that runs the all-ages venue. The ruling allows the Che to continue operating for another 60 days, which strikes down the university's order to vacate the venue by July 14.

According to a press release issued by The Che Café, a preliminary-injunction hearing will be held on Aug. 1, and if the Che prevails, it will be able to continue operating in its current space until a final resolution has been reached. A post from the Che on Twitter this morning reads, "In essence we've been granted 60 more days to operate in this space to fight to keep it."

Prior to this ruling, the Che had no choice but to cancel all of its upcoming shows. This allows many of the shows to continue, though it's not yet been announced which shows are back on, or if any of them have been moved to other venues.

The Che Café has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay for the repairs that are at the heart of its dispute with UCSD. It has raised $900 so far.

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The UC San Diego University Centers Advisory Board (UCAB), a student-run board that oversees how student fees are spent, voted today to cut The Che Cafe’s maintenance costs from its 2014-2015 budget, putting the future of the long-running, all-ages DIY music venue in doubt.

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Some of the best musical theater of the last 40 years has come straight out of hard rock and heavy-metal concerts: King Diamond’s ghoulish presence and operatic vocals; W.A.S.P.’s meat-pelting and models-on-torture-racks spectacle; and, of course, Alice Cooper’s death at the end of every show. Sure, there are plenty of earnest, plain-clothes metal bands that rely on musical performance over high drama, but to some degree, metal has always been about escapism. And no band in recent memory has embodied metal’s escapist tendencies better than Sweden’s Ghost.

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Tomorrow—Saturday, April 19—is that chaotic, frantic, lines-around-the-block, limited-edition geek-out celebration of mom-and-pop, brick-and-mortar retail that we call Record Store Day. Some people love it, some people hate it, but whether you’re an eBay pirate looking to make some cash on reselling limited-edition Dave Matthews Band box sets or just looking to take advantage of some sidewalk vinyl sales and maybe grab a David Bowie picture disc, it’s at least worth checking out.

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If you haven't been to Coachella, sure, mourn the missed opportunity of rushing to pre-purchase (and then get on the payment plan—yes, there was a payment plan) your ticket, only to discover later the lineup's less than perfect.]]>The first quarter of 2014 has almost come to a close, and in just three short months, a lot of great music has come across my desk and inbox. And I wouldn't be here if I weren't interested in passing along these great sounds to you, the reader. So I assembled a playlist—around 74 minutes long—of favorites of the first quarter of 2014, including The War on Drugs, Dum Dum Girls, St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, Big Ups, Indian, Katy B, Real Estate and a whole bunch of others.

I plan to do this again at the end of June, September and December, but so far, the year's shaping up nicely. Now turn up the jams.]]>

It's been eight years since I've seen punk band The Lawrence Arms. The last time I saw them was at an all-ages venue in Salt Lake City, supporting their 2006 album Oh! Calcutta! They'd been a favorite band of mine throughout high school, and I was excited to take this new girl to their show.

Eight years later, and me and that new girl are now married. We have car payments. We have streaming video. We have a new president. And all this has happened in the time in the time it took The Lawrence Arms to release a new album: Metropole.

As far as comeback records go, Metropole is excellent, just because it doesn't fall into the overcompensation that occurs when rock bands age. With lyrics like "I dream when I'm sleeping / I'll sleep when I die / I die every evening" and "My heart got kicked out of all of its homes / And dying young just didn't work so now I guess I'm dying old," it's a record about submission, and accepting your impending fall from relevancy, and admitting that Father Time is kind of a dick.

Even if anxiety about getting older is fueling their strongest lyrical material, it was hardly apparent on Saturday night when they destroyed the sold-out crowd at The Casbah. With a set-list that pulled heavily from Metropole and Oh! Calcutta! (their best album, IMO), the band delivered a performance that had fists pumping with every lyric and drunk bros hugging each other. It felt downright triumphant. Even singer/bassist Brendan Kelly—usually one of the most caustic, sarcastic and funniest frontmen in punk rock—seemed to be humbled.

However, one of the side-effects of aging is the enhanced ability to drain the glass half-empty, which is what happened when I realized that all the other times I'd seen the band were at all-age venues. It was a small trigger that made me pine for old days, when the pit was more about community instead of old drunks pushing against each other. And those venues never had security like The Casbah, who used excessive force to punish stage-divers and crowd-surfers. Honestly, I've never been a fan of crowd-surfers, but I saw a short brick of a man toss two concert-goers out by their necks. It was a sour end to an otherwise excellent night: angry at concert security and annoyed at the drunk punks, thinking about how it's unfair that things can't be like they used to be, and how we all might be too old for this.

More details have emerged about The Hideout, the new venue opening up at 3519 El Cajon Blvd.

The owners—who have chosen not to identify themselves—have invested in some upgrades to the bar and tentatively plan to have it open in February. In a conversation with CityBeat at the venue, while renovations were taking place, manager Allen Colaneri said The Hideout, whose tagline is "Grains, hops and music," will operate more like a neighborhood bar, expanding its hours to much earlier in the afternoon, and expanding the menu of beverages, from beers to craft cocktails. And, eventually, he says, they plan to serve food.

“It’s an everybody bar,” Colaneri says. “It’ll be comfortable, and you can feel right at home.”

One rumor about The Hideout that Colaneri wants to dispel, however, is that it won’t host regular live shows. Right now, it has three shows lined up: Warm Soda on March 6, The Casket Girls on March 7 and Solids on March 9. But Colaneri says there will be plenty more live music to follow.

“The new owners love music,” he says, “and we’ve all been going to The Casbah since we turned 21.”

Given that the space has closed so many times in the past—whether as The Void, Radio Room, Eleven or Zombie Lounge—there's a perceived risk about investing into a place that has been unsuccessful in the past. But Colaneri is hopeful that by putting some extra work and money into the club, it might be a positive example for other potential businesses along El Cajon Boulevard.

“That is the big question—whether we’re going to be a catalyst,” Colaneri says. “It’d be great if that happens.”

The Void held its last show—an alt-lit reading called Now That’s What I Call Poetry—on Dec. 16 and then quietly closed up shop, just shy of one year after changing from Eleven last January. However, a few calendar items appeared in the last week on the websites of both The Casbah and Soda Bar for shows taking place at a bar called The Hideout, which has the same address as The Void. And a private Facebook page is now up at facebook.com/thehideoutsd.

Shows booked at The Hideout so far are Warm Soda on March 6, The Casket Girls on March 7 and Solids on March 9.

Details about The Hideout are still pretty thin. The Void’s owner, Alex Kacha, confirmed via Facebook message that the club has been sold to “investors” who are planning to remodel the space. However, under terms of the sale, Kacha wouldn’t disclose who purchased the club or any details about its future.

CityBeat reached out to Hideout manager Allen Colaneri but wasn’t able to get in touch with him by press time. Casbah owner Tim Mays says that after the first few shows, The Hideout won’t regularly feature live music. The club has turned over numerous times. Before it was Eleven, it was Radio Room. Before that, it was The Zombie Lounge.]]>